Owlbear Cavalry

Written by Martin K.

The Orc Lord has ordered his troops to hunt and capture owlbears to serve in his army. The untameable beasts are held in spiked pits, and they are fed the weak, the cowardly and the expendable, who are thrown into the pit where the beast rips them apart while they are still alive.

From time to time, a beast will show mercy on a poor sacrifice. The Orc Lord has declared these as the Chosen ones. The Chosen are rescued, fed, and marked with ornamental tattoos to show their status.

They are the ones who ride the owlbears into battle.

Owlbear Cavalry

Size/Strength Large; Level 5; Role Wrecker; Type Beast

Initiative +9

Rip and peck +10 vs. AC; 20 damage, and until the end of the owlbear's next turn, the target is hampered(makes only basic attacks) while engaged with the owlbear.

Playing with the food: If the attack is an opportunity attack, deal +2d6 damage.

Rip them apart: An owlbear that scores a critical hit against a hampered enemy tears a piece of the creature off (GM chooses a limb). The torn-up enemy is stunned until the end of its next turn. Until the end of the owlbears next turn, nearby orc allies benefit from the escalation die.

Not the chosen after all: If the attack is a natural 1, the Owlbear throws off its rider and takes a good bite. It heals 25 hit points while the rider is killed.

Only I am allowed to poke Fluffles: If an opponent rolls a natural odd attack roll against the owlbear, make a Chosen's spear attack against the perpetrator as an interrupt action.

Chosen's Spear +10 vs. AC; 10 damage.

Driven to combat frenzy: The Chosen use meat treats and pain to drive the Owlbear into battle frenzy. While the rider is alive, the owlbear can benefit from the escalation die, and it gets a +3 bonus to saves.

Attacking the Chosen: The rider has the stats of a level 1 orc warrior. PC with the Precise Shot feat, or a well-timed stunt, can shoot him off the back of the beast.